Urwerk builds a watch that reassembles itself every hour
On the UR-300 Time Quantum, four three-sided prisms carry the twelve hours. At the top of each hour, the T-shaped frame jumps forward 72 degrees and rearranges itself.
Symbolic image · Photo: Time Maven at English Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (cropped and resized)
Geneva watchmaker Urwerk presented the UR-300 Time Quantum on October 15, a new take on its 'wandering hours' display; the brand was founded in 1997. Here a T-shaped frame of two bars carries four three-sided prisms that share the twelve hours. The current hour travels along a 108-degree arc marked with minutes from 0 to 60.
At the top of the hour the frame jumps forward, rotates 72 degrees and rebuilds itself. Seconds are shown by three hands, each covering 20 seconds across 120 degrees. The titanium case measures 45.2 by 58.8 millimetres and is 18.25 millimetres thick. Inside is the automatic UR-30.01V calibre with a 44-hour power reserve.
'The world of the atom is fascinating because it exists in a state of constant, temporary equilibrium,' says co-founder and watchmaker Felix Baumgartner. The watch comes in bare titanium and in a black AlTiN-coated version, each limited to 25 pieces.